


Take a Minute and Revel in It

by InTheShadows



Series: What Doesn't Kill You (Is Bound To Try Again) [6]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Arcades, Civil War Team Iron Man, Dorks in Love, First Dates, Fluff, Gen, Humor, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, M/M, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Precious Peter Parker, Teenager Tony Stark, Tony Stark is a good boyfriend, peter Parker is a good boyfriend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-07-08 13:54:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15931796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InTheShadows/pseuds/InTheShadows
Summary: Tony checks his reflection in the mirror. Again. Yeah he still looks good. He still looks like a hipster too, but that is beside the point. The real thing here is that he looks good. He is ready for his and Peter's date. Which he isn't nervous about. At all. It's only their first date as a couple, no big deal. Everything is going to be fine. Who doesn't love the arcade after all?





	Take a Minute and Revel in It

**Author's Note:**

> Originally I hadn't been planning on writing this, but my finger slipped. Oops? (But really, how could I resist?)  
> theme: [To the Ends of the Earth](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5O0iA--sec) by Nathan Sharp

Tony sighs as he finds himself checking his reflection again for the fifth time in so many minutes. This is ridiculous. He is acting like a lovesick teenager going on his first date. He ignores the thought that the description isn't too far off. The teenager part that is. This is hardly his first date after all. He and Ty went on plenty of them. And yeah, after the first couple of months they might not have always been the greatest, but they had them. Looking back, that should have been the first sign that they should have broken up long before they did.

But this is different. This is Peter. He knows Peter and Ty are nothing alike. It would be like comparing night and day. Or apples and oranges, as his tutor always said when he taught Tony fractions. Tony always hated the comparison. Of course you can compare the two. They're both fruits aren't they? Then again, he never liked his tutor either. He always looked as if he was silently swallowing a lemon. Acted like it too. That was one of the few good things about being shipped off to boarding school – no more Mr Smith.

He shakes his head to clear his thoughts and checks his reflection again. Still the same. He looks good of course. He also looks like a damn hipster. That hadn't been what he had been going for, when he started off. The point had been to make sure no one would recognize him, not –  _ this. _

Well they certainly aren't going to recognize him now. Skinny jeans and a black tank, combat boots, a beanie to cover most of his hair and some ridiculous glasses. Not real glasses obviously, but definitely hipster in appearance. Add his flannel shirt to the mix and no. No one is going to realize he is Edan Stark. Which is the point. But honestly, he has no idea where the flannel or the glasses came from. He didn't even know he owned flannel.

He pulls the look off well, which makes him wonder if he should worry or not. Then again it's not as if it is a hard look to pull off. It's basically so mainstream now that everyone is wearing it.

“You look very handsome Boss,” FRIDAY tells him.

He smiles at one of her cameras. “Thanks Fry baby. Think I look ready for a night on the town?”

“If by town you mean coffee shop then yes, you look perfect.”

Tony snorts at that. So rude and yet so true. “Knew I could count on your fashion skills.”

“According to the internet, retro is in. You'll have no problems blending in with the crowd.”

“Why FRIDAY,” Tony gasps, “are you calling me old?”

“Well not anymore,” she says as if to reassure him.

“Alright sass master, what time is it?”

“It is 2:45. You have half an hour before Peter arrives.”

“Right,” Tony nods, attempting to ignore the sudden flare of nerves. This is ridiculous. There is no reason to worry, Peter is going to love it. He hopes. He should. Peter likes to keep things simple and fun. Nothing fancy like Tony is use to. Although to be fair, Tony was also raised in it. It was either adapt or drown.

He checks his wallet to make sure he has both cash and small bills. No fifties where they are going. He remembers when he first started MIT, what a piss Rhodey took out of him when he realized that Tony never carried anything smaller than a fifty on him. Maybe a twenty if he was truly desperate or had some form of change. Rich white boy problems he had called them. He taught him a lot that first semester about life on the other side.

But he was also never cruel about it. He laughed, but it was only to poke. Never to bleed. Never to break. He may have gotten exasperated with him, but he never gave up. Never abandoned him. Rhodey has both the patience of a saint and the ability to be just as much of a little shit as Tony. He loves it.

So money check. Phone check. Car keys are in the kitchen and no sunglasses today because of his hipster glasses. He goes out into the living room to wait. Jane and Rhodey are already out there watching TV. Or trying to anyways. Neither seem to be able to decide what to watch.

He drops against Rhodey's side. “Having trouble honey bear?” he asks.

“Five thousand channels and not a thing to watch,” he grumbles, throwing an arm around his shoulders. “Nice outfit,” he adds with a smirk.

Tony sticks his tongue out at him. “You're just jealous you will never look as fabulous as I do,” he says snottily.

Rhodey snorts. “Fabulous huh? That's certainly one word for it.” His tone implies that there is another, less flattering one, that he would use instead. “Have everything?”

Tony nods, snuggling closer. “Everything is set. Worse part is going to be trying to find a parking spot. It would work so much better if I could just fly there.”

“There is always the subway,” Jane suggests.

Rhodey's smirk grows. He is well aware of Tony's opinion of the subways. Which is pretty simple – no. Just say no. It is dirty and crowded and boring. No. “Or steal Happy from Pepper for a bit. You know neither of them will mind.”

But Tony just shakes his head. “Nah it's fine,” he says, tapping his fingers against his legs.

Rhodey gives him a knowing look. “Do I need to remind you crazy kids of your curfew? And stranger danger. Stranger danger is very important you know.”

Tony shoves his shoulder into Rhodey's chest. “Hilarious sour patch, but I think I'll be fine without it.”

“Are you sure? Not going to take candy from any sketchy person? I know what a sweet tooth you have. And there was that one time-”

“Oh will you shut up about that one time. I told you, I knew exactly who it was – Derek from math. He gave me cupcakes because he was nice like that. Unlike some people I could name,” he says pointedly.

“It was Sam from that horrid history class,” Rhodey corrects, “and he just wanted to jump your bones. Which was creepy because you were fifteen and he was twenty two.”

Jane gives them a slightly horrified look. “The more I hear about your college years, the more I wonder how you are still alive.”

“It was a full time job, trust me,” Rhodey says.

Tony rolls his eyes at both of them. Honestly he wasn't that bad. He ignores the part where that thought is a complete and utter lie. He was totally that bad. It just wasn't always his fault. “People are so rude these days,” he complains.

“It's all your generations fault,” Rhodey says, mock serious, “Ruining our fine nation, putting honest industries out of business, lazing about with no real jobs and never starting real families.”

“I thought that was millennials,” Jane asks.

“Oh no,” Rhodey shakes his head, “everyone knows that generation z is turning out far worse. Millennials started the decline. Generation z is taking everything straight to hell.”

Tony can't help but snicker at that. And Rhodey says that he is the dramatic one. Spot on impersonation right there. Some people might think that, but obviously it isn't true. After all, everyone knows it's all the baby boomers fault.

“Boss, Spidey's ETA is ten minutes,” FRIDAY says then.

Tony feels his stomach flip, but refuses to show it. There is no reason to be nervous after all. Absolutely none. He has everything planned. Everything is ready. He hasn't told Peter where they are going yet, but he is going to love it. He knows he will. So there is no need to feel nervous. Completely none. Not that he is nervous anyways. He is Tony Stark, the master of smooth. He does not get nervous.

Needing to move, he gets up off the couch and goes into the kitchen for a glass of water. Checking, he sees his leather jacket and keys are setting on the table. That is where he stays until Peter walks in. Or you know, bounces from excitement.

“Tony,” he greets, almost colliding with him as they hug. “Did you have a good day? Hope it was better than mine. English sucks. Have I ever mentioned that before? Cause it definitely does. I mean-”

Tony laughs and kisses him to stop his babbling. Good to see he's not the only one jittery about their date. “I know English sucks,” he says as he pulls away, “I can almost guarantee you picked that up from me.”

Peter frowns in thought briefly. “Yeah probably. You kept complaining about Shakespeare.”

“You can never understand him,” Tony says, making a disgusted face, “Half of the words he made up himself. And anyways, there is some good Shakespeare out there. Some solid stories with good, solid characters and all that. But Romeo and Juliet is not one of them. Honestly they aren't romantic, they're idiots. At least check your facts before you do something drastic and irreversible.” He shakes his head.

Peter laughs at that. “Yeah I know, you've said before. Multiple times and with great feeling. What one do you like then? You never got to that part of the rant before.”

“Macbeth actually. It was the only English assignment that I didn't bribe someone else to do,” he shrugs, “I liked the witches when I was younger.” And hated them when he was older. Damn self fulfilling prophecy. He couldn't read it anymore after a certain point. Now he thinks he might reread it when he has the time. Or have FRIDAY read it to him. Same thing.

“Ready to go?” he asks.

“Yeah where are we going?” Peter asks excitedly.

“The arcade,” Tony says. He had thought of keeping it a surprise at first but then thought better of it. What if Peter ends up hating the idea? What if it isn't what he is expecting? Yes Peter likes it simple, but what if it is too much? Or not enough rather. He doesn't want to ruin their first date.

But from the look on Peter's face, he needn't have worried. His eyes light up and he grins. “The arcade? That is so awesome, I haven't been there in years. Yes!”

Tony laughs. “Let's go then.” Shrugging on his jacket, he grabs his keys and laces his fingers through Peter's.

“Have fun you two,” Rhodey calls, “Don't stay out too late and remember to stay out of trouble.”

Tony rolls his eyes at him as he and Peter walk out the door. His platypus sometimes. Honestly. They hop into the car and are off.

They make good time and Tony – miraculously enough – even manages to find a parking spot relatively close to where the arcade is. He takes that as a good sign. Obviously everything is going to go well because they don't have to park a million miles away.

Peter is grinning widely as they walk in. “This is so wicked. What do you want to do first?”

“How about a classic?” Tony asks, pointing to one of the pinball machines.

“Yes,” Peter practically hisses as they go over. They stop briefly so Tony can change a ten into quarters before continuing. “You first,” he says, motioning for Tony to begin.

Tony does with a grin, He forgot how much he loved pinball. If Peter hasn't played it any of this stuff in years, it has been decades for him. Which seems like a shame now that he is playing again. Maybe he should get one for the Compound. And a pool table. That's another thing he is good at. He racks up quite the points before the ball goes straight down the middle, ending his game.

Peter cheers. “Good job. My turn now.” He puts in his quarters and begins. It is quickly obvious that he is just as good as Tony is, if not better. He sends the ball flying across the board.

Tony grins and watches.

Peter ends up beating his score by a couple hundred points. “Yes,” he fist pumps victoriously.

It turns into somewhat of a friendly competition after that. Nothing serious, but both try to win. And both of them try to cheat outrageously to do so. They are breathless with laughter by time they work their way through whack-a-mole, skee ball, air hockey and two different racing games.

They are also racking up the tickets as they do so. What kind of boyfriend would Tony be if he didn't get Peter a teddy bear? Or something else less cliché that he wants. It is a good thing he has his jacket because barely anything fits in his jean pockets. The draw back of skinny jeans right there.

“What about this?” Tony points to the Dance Dance Revolution over in the corner of the room. Because obviously they need to.

Peter groans. “No, not that.”

He doesn't sound completely against it though, so Tony pushes. “Oh yes, come on Petey don't you want to dance with me?” He gives him his best puppy dog eyes. He knows exactly how lethal they are.

“Fine,” Peter sighs. But he is also smiling so Tony knows he can't be too upset about it.

Tony skips over and goes through their song list. “Perfect,” he says as Lady Gaga's Bad Romance blinks onto the screen.

Peter laughs. “You are such a dork.”

“Are you disrespecting the classics right now? Because that's what it sounds like you are doing.”

Peter sticks out his tongue at him as the song begins.

Tony laughs, losing himself in the music. It has always had this kind of affect on him. It's one of the reasons he listens to it so much. A good song can help relax him or work him through a problem. It pumps him up and brings him down. Music isn't just something to listen to. It is a way of life.

They end up going through almost an entire roll of quarters just on that game alone. When they are finished, Peter's face is red and he is panting slightly.

“Not tired are you?” Tony asks, smirking, even as he fans himself. He is down to his tank top at this point, having shed his jacket and flannel long ago. “That was hardly even a workout. Or do we need to kick up our training level?”

“Anyone ever tell you how funny you are?” Peter asks.

“All the time.” Tony's smirk grows.

“Yeah well they lied.”

Tony puts a hand over his heart. “Ouch that hurts. I feel the burn right here,” he taps his chest, “Right here is broken. How could you do that to me? I thought we had something special going here.”

“All is fair in love and sassing,” Peter grins widely at him.

“No respect,” Tony laments, “No respect anymore these days.”

Peter leans in and brushes their slightly sweaty cheeks together. “Don't worry,” he says, “you're still my favorite.”

Tony snorts but returns the gesture. Dork. His boyfriend is such a dork. But an endearing one, it's true.

They move on to the next game.

In the end, it is Peter who wins the most tickets. Mainly because he is the one who spots the game first. It is one of those games that test your reaction time. A light goes round and round in a quick circle and you have to stop it on the 'jackpot' button. Because no one had managed to win in some time, he ends up with three hundred and fifty seven tickets.

He grins victoriously as he holds all of the tickets in his hand. They drape onto the floor, almost covering his feet. “I win,” he declares and then tugs Tony to the prize counter. “What do you want?” he asks, still grinning. Then, “Oh my god, look at that.” He points to the stuffed animals. Of course there is a small selection of the usual, the bears and the pandas and the dragons and such. But they also have a superhero section as well.

Tony is vaguely amused to see that they still have all of the Avengers. But in with them is both Spider-Man and Iron Defender. Naturally this means Tony gets Iron Defender and gives it to Peter. Even more naturally Peter gets Spider-Man and gives it to Tony. It is all so sickeningly cliché it's adorable.

Peter even has enough tickets left over to get a Thor as well. Because he absolutely has a crush on him that he will not admit to. Not even a little bit. Tony doesn't know why he bothers, everyone knows about it. His face gives him away every single time. He always gets hilariously offended when Thor is insulted in his hearing. And the way he fanboys sometimes, it's adorable. Peter may pretend that he doesn't have one, but he definitely does. Tony loves it.

He grins as he hugs his Spider-Man to his chest. Yeah, the arcade was a great idea.

 

 


End file.
